The Power of Others Part 2

By Bob Kohut

Last time, I shared the story of the first night of the power outage of 2010 and the effect it had on me.

On the second night I was sitting out on my front porch in the dark observing things that go unnoticed in the courseof a busy life. As I gazed down the street I noticed the fireflies were out and the neighborhood children were catching them and placing them in jars. I grew up in a rural area and that was one of our favorite pastimes on many a summer’s eve. It was a sight to behold, but as my eyes focused a bit better I noticed that the kids weren’t the only ones chasing the fireflies. Right in front of me, many of my adult neighbors were out there with the children, laughing and talking as they captured more and more fireflies to fill those jars with which we would light up the night. So I joined them. At 63 years old, I don’t move as fast as I used to, but I still caught my share. There wasn’t an adult out there who didn’t have a favorite childhood reminiscence to share. And we learned a lot more about each other.

The following morning, the power was back. Did it all end? Yes, we all went back to our televisions and to the Internet and the other pleasures of our lives powered by power.

But the power of others has actually held on a bit. I still walk the streets with my dogs but now I have new friends to stop and chat with and it seems even those I managed to miss meeting during the outage acknowledge my presence with a wave and a few words as they pass by. I have become a source of assistance to the 90 year old woman who shared stories with me during the outage and I am finding others like her with whom I hope to establish a bond.

Like many people today, I’ve been through some tough times and they’re not over yet. But you know, I really felt good about sharing with all those people during the great outage of the Summer of 2010. Thanks for listening to my story.